Blog:FI Monaco race

I see the Formula 1 circus is next to descend on Monaco. I've always had mixed feelings about that race. On the plus side, what a great place and backdrop. It is a circuit that comes with mega-glamour. The TV pictures bring you the cars in the sunshine, banks of luxury hillside villas and hotels, a few palm trees, a reliably azure sea, the parked up super-yachts, casinos...the mere thought of the sort of people, with their exotic and unobtainable lifestyles, that are actually there. You can see, but don't touch.

The negatives? Main one is that it is virtually impossible to overtake. It's actually a dull race from a driving perpsective, usually decided more by grid positions and pit stops. And also by it's nature, it's not a circuit that will be as safe as the race tracks (though it still seems popular with some drivers).

I recently interviewed Lotus F1 Team technical director James Allison for Lotus Engineering's proActive e-magazine. He had some interesting observations on the sport, his role, technical issues and how competitive he believes the Lotus F1 Team really is, what its strengths are. They're certainly off to a great start this season, both drivers and the new cars doing well. Do you think he likes the travelling? Read the interview and find out...